Metro Atlantic Conference Overview

The first of these is the Niagara Purple Eagles and the only reason we are putting them first is that they have the most exciting player in the league in senior scoring machine Calvin Murphy.  The diminutive guard has a jump shot that feels like he is rising to the sun and he is tough as they come either going to the hoop or after the game in the parking lot.  Murphy leads an experienced group with the possibility of the entire starting lineup being seniors but the PE’s do have an issue with a lack of size and we are not just talking about the 5’8” Murphy!  Seniors Manny Leaks and Alex Ellis are solid up front but guarding the likes of Jeff Ruland at 6’8 is quite the challenge.  Leaks is more of a power forward but can board while Ellis (who for some reason goes by the nickname of Boo) is only 6’5 and though he is terrific on the glass is obviously undersized for the paint in this brutally tough league.  Murphy has a great sidekick in the back court who plays the straight man to the mighty one in fellow senior Larry Costello.  This duo is not funny at all and as a matter of fact will knock you on your butt if you crack a joke but they can play and complement each other well.  Another undersized senior, Zeke Sinicola, is the favorite to start but he only goes 5’11 so new coach Frank Layden needs to find some size (and athleticism) on the wings.  Seniors Al Butler and Ed Fleming are also undersized wings but are at least bigger then the three projected starters.  Still, this team will score and they will be in the mix at the end for that BD spot and they do have some big times games against the Big East with games at St. John’s (in NYC) and in the Carrier Dome against local rival Syracuse.  If any of the MAAC teams did sneak in as an at-large bid to the Big Dance it would be Niagara with the superstar Murphy and that strength of schedule but they thought that last year and got left at the altar when the committee selected teams.  An NIT bid is nice (the Purple Eagles are used to those) but losing in the first round of the MAAC tourney even if they did tie for the regular season title sealed their fate. 

Canisius, who is also part of that Northwest New York Little 3 with Niagara and St. Bonaventure, will also be in the mix.  The Golden Griffins, color-oriented nicknames related to the Dungeons and Dragons abound in this region of the country, also have a senior laden lineup featuring back court studs Johnny McCarthy and Andy Anderson, the GG’s also have a potential scoring machine of their own in transfer Larry Fogle who is coming in from Louisiana and can really fill it up.  Canisius will compete and do have a rather routine schedule so they could accumulate some out of conference wins by the end of the year.  Like their Little 3 brethren the Purple Eagles, the Golden Griffins (Tolkien is rolling over in his grave) are undersized up front.  Seniors Bill O’Connor (6’5), Hank Nowak (6’3) and either Frank Swiatek (6’4) or Michael Macaluso (also 6’4) will be the starting front line and as you can see are not exactly UCLA or Kansas up front.  These guys can play but having a 6’3 power forward no matter how tough Nowak is cannot be optimum.  Or Prime.  There is a seven footer on the roster in sophomore Mike Smrek but Canadian is a true project who spent most of his time on JV last year.  Fellow sophomore ‘Sugar’ Ray Hall goes 6’5 but is a true wing and made a huge impact in his first year in Buffalo.  He is the future of this program but for now will be the sixth man once again bringing offense off the bench but he might just be the best player in that ‘Mafia’ town.  

The other three in the running are from the New York city area.  The Manhattan Jaspers have had a solid program for years and have a team with depth and that can score points.  Coach Ken Norton, no not that one, has no superstars but a solid nucleus and a good mix of veterans and some young talent coming in.  A tough out of conference schedule will test them but it should make the Jaspers ready for the games that matter in the MAAC.  Led by senior legend Junius Kellogg (on and off the court) the Jaspers have some size up front that is interchangeable but tough.  Junior Bill Campion may not be Ruland on the blocks but he can score and board and goes 6’10.  Fellow junior Steve Grant only goes 6’7 but can board with the best of them as he can really jump.  The wings are solid led by Chubby Checker favorite Larry Lembo and fellow seniors Jack Powers and Dick Murphy.  This team is not as talented as it has been in the past but it still can score and with the Explorers gone have a chance at getting to the top of the heap.  Or A number 1! Whichever you prefer. 

The only non-Big Apple team of the contenders are the Saint Peter’s Peacocks.  This New Jersey school can score and has one of the most underrated players in the country in Senior Elnardo Webster.  This forward can really put it in the hoop with a solid inside/outside game and will be the focal point of the offense.  Size is a problem here as well but in reality how well Don Kennedy’s team stops their opponents will determine how good their season is.  They do have a pretty light out of conference schedule so they could be NIT bound if they don’t win the league tourney and they have been a notoriously tough out when they play in MSG.  Fellow seniors Bill Smith, Harry Laurie, Pete O’Dea and Hank Morana as well as juniors Bob Fazio, Rich Rinaldi and Ted Martiniuk are the best of the returning players and bring some juice to the table.  Rinaldi is a terrific offensive player on the wing but the posts will be a rotation of a bunch of 6’5 guys including Smith. Fazio and O’Dea so you can see where the issue might be.  Webster, who also is 6’5, is a true wing but will play often down low as Norton tries to juggle a veteran squad against some of this league’s bigger teams. 

Iona is next and young Jim Valvano is a charismatic head coach that knows how to recruit and game coach.  He might be the difference in this league but he also has the most dominant big man in the league in Junior Jeff Ruland and the most complete player in Senior guard Richie Guerin.  No other team has a combo like this and Ruland at six ten and going about 260 can match up with any center on the East Coast.  So they got that going for them though the Gaels are much less experienced than their prime opponents in this league.  Undersized power forward Warren Isaac (a senior), junior point Glenn Vickers and sophomore two guard Steve Burtt round out a solid starting five.  If some of the kids Valvano has brought in can acclimate to this level of play quickly and contribute off the bench these Gaels have a chance to catch this league by storm. 

Speaking of lack of experience, the Siena Saints do not have many upperclassmen scheduled to start for new Coach Fran McCaffrey.   This program took a detour down to D-2 for a minute but is now back but most of the players on the roster are of that lower level of talent.  Or baseball players.  Arguably the two best returning players, senior Billy Harrell and junior Gary Holle, are all-world studs on the diamond and pretty good hoopsters but nowhere near MAAC talent level.  The Saints had a good run in some smaller leagues jumping back in but the water is deep in the MAAC.  McCaffrey will push the tempo and try to outscore teams with a bunch of new recruits but may lack the requisite experience to get her done this season and will be building for the future. 

The Loyola Greyhounds do have some veterans including senior stud forward Jim Lacy who has been a scoring king since he stepped on the court in Maryland.  Coach Lefty Reitz does not have anywhere on the roster near his talent level though and this program is most likely caught in the pack in the race to the finish line.  Junior Mike Krawczyk from Philly can play on the blocks and there are a couple of sophomore wings who showed promised last year in Mike Morrison and David Gately.  The Greyhounds will try to outrun their opponents as their nickname suggests but unless the veteran coach has recruited a couple of seven footers who can play like McMillen and Ewing, it will not be enough in the MAAC. 

Another New York team the Marist Red Foxes (that color thing again) is new to D-1.  They might surprise with a stellar sophomore class including the Dunkin’ Dutchmen himself Rik Smits.  The seven four Smits has all kinds of upside but must get stronger but if he does the world is his oyster.  Coach Dave Magarity may be looking down the line as his young team develops in their new league but there is some talent and more size on this roster then anyone in the league right now! 

The Connecticut representative in the MAAC the Fairfield Stags have a great class of their own in their junior group but they are nowhere near the level of talent as the RF’s.  Still, Coach Fred Barakat could surprise with a bunch of gamers and his own dominant big man in junior Mark Young.  Fellow junior Joe DiSantis is one heck of a leader at point guard who can score and dish and his partner in crime in the backcourt, fellow junior George Groom, can hit open shots but this team needs some athletes.  Barakat (dang, he should be coaching at Cincinnati) will go anywhere to find talent and is not immune to bringing in JC kids but unless the Stags find some complementary talent to Young in the paint, the big fella is going to be beat to a pulp by year’s end in this tough and physical conference. 

The Rider Broncs (not the Broncos) are also jumping into this new league ready for a wild ride.  There are some veterans but none are realistically at this league’s level of play and whoever the new coach is (they have not decided yet) the Broncs will be battling just to hang on for the full 8 seconds.  Senior Jack Cryan is a high scoring point guard who can play and his backcourt sidekick Herb Krautblatt is a smooth stroking lefty but this team needs some athletes on the wings.  And some size.  And, well, you get the picture. 

The MAAC might not have the star power of the boys from Philly this year but they do have a bunch of solid teams ready to do battle to get their shot at dancing with the big boys in March.  It’s anybody’s guess how this turns out but it is going to be a highly competitive season on the East Coast and there will be a winner.  And that winner will have to survive a few standing 8 counts to get to the bell!  But without the powerhouse that is LaSalle hanging around, all of these programs feel they have as good of a chance as any to represent the MAAC when they attack the pack in the Big Dance.